Pilot's efforts help save property

"OLD blue" and "little red" were just two properties saved as water bombing helicopters worked to battle the Montumana blaze from the sky.

Line pilot Jason McCutcheon, of Victoria, watched from the chopper as three properties came in direct line of the fire.

"We called one old blue (shed), little red (house) and there was another house with a canoe in the backyard beside a creek," he recalled.

"Blue, that was initially under threat because it was running fast towards his shack, we couldn't do much with that one, we put down as much water as we could until the fire got too smokey so we had to pull out ... it was engulfed in flames and I'm surprised.

"Then little red, we thought we could do something with that, we worked on it for quite some time and then again we got overrun by smoke, so we couldn't tell until the next day whether we'd done a good job there or not."

Upon their return the next day, the three structures were still standing.

Mr McCutcheon has been based at Stanley's Osborne Aviation Services for the past fortnight, working as a contractor to help fight the blaze.

The 43-year-old has worked through 10 fire seasons, a majority of those in his home state of Victoria.

"I've worked in Western Australia, Tassie, New South Wales and Victoria, the only place I haven't fought fires in is Queensland," he said, while preparing the chopper for the next flight.

He completed a fitter and turner apprenticeship, then worked as a locksmith for six years, but there was nothing like jumping in a helicopter for the first time, according to Mr McCutcheon.

"The places and people you meet, the things you see, it's part of what I do and who I am now."

HERE TO HELP: Line pilot Jason McCutcheon, of Victoria, was one of the water-bombing helicopter pilots who helped battle the Montumana bushfire, which started on January 5.